Ceremonials
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: "When was the last time you actually played in the snow?" "Never." Aubrey tells her. crosses her arms over her chest. "My point exactly." (fluff)


**Disclaimer: **I'm getting really bad with titles you guys. Can I have someone who just names all of my stories? The title for this one comes from the name of the second Florence + the Machine album (yep, back to Florence) but is more a reference to a line from the song "Only If For a Night."

**A/N: **So this note/dedication/whatever is really two fold. First off, as always, this story is for my panda who said that it was never too early for a snow-themed story so I hope that she's right. Especially because writing this story made me wish it was Christmas because I got about 10 Chaubrey Christmas-themed story ideas. You can blame her if you think this story is way too random. And two: this story is for WeRMental, who wanted a birthday present so here it is. I know it's May but here's a birthday Christmas story. I hope you enjoy!

**"Ceremonials" **

"Bree. Bree! Wake up!" Chloe gives her girlfriend an impatient shake. "Wake up!"

Aubrey's eyes snap open and she sits upright, pushing away the haziness of sleep. "What's wrong?" She looks at Chloe. "Are you okay?"

Chloe gives her a quizzical look. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Aubrey sighs and flops back down on her pillow. "Because you're waking me up in the middle of the night." She mumbles. "And why are you doing that, might I ask?"

Chloe grabs Aubrey's arms and tries to tug her out of bed. "It's snowing!" She gives her another tug. "It's even sticking."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Chlo, it's the middle of the night." She casts a glance at the clock. "Two forty-five in fact. Why are you even awake?"

"I wanted something to drink and I just happened to see that it was snowing!" Chloe gives up trying to rouse Aubrey and goes over to the window, pushing aside the curtains and pulling up the blinds. "Look! It's gorgeous. It's going to be a white Christmas."

Aubrey smirks. "Christmas is four days away, Chlo. It probably won't still be snowing by then." It's Atlanta, after all. The fact that there are any fat white flakes falling from the sky is a shock.

Chloe sticks her tongue out at Aubrey. "Ba humbug. You don't know that. It could be a Christmas miracle."

"I'm sure you're right." Aubrey says with a yawn. "Come back to bed. It's late."

But Chloe doesn't come away from the window. "Let's go outside. It's just so pretty." Chloe glances out the window and smiles as she looks at the snow collecting on the ground. "I bet it will stick." She says confidently. "Come on Bree. Let's go."

Aubrey shakes her head. "No way, crazy. It's late and some of us aren't on winter break yet." She gestures for Chloe to come to her. "I'm cold and sleepy. Come back and cuddle."

Chloe starts to protest but Aubrey pouts and Chloe is done for. People who think that the only reason that Aubrey always gets her way is because she's hard-headed and frightening have obviously never seen her pout. Chloe knows that look is reserved just for her when no one else is around and there's not much she can do to resist.

"But the snow…" Chloe tries to protest but she's already walking back toward the bed.

"We'll go out in it tomorrow." Aubrey assures Chloe.

"_You_ said it wasn't going to stick." Chloe points out as she gets beneath the blankets once more. She shivers and snuggles close to Aubrey, curling like a cat against her.

Aubrey jumps when Chloe's icy feet press against hers under the blankets. "Your feet are _freezing_. You're going to get sick." She chides, kissing Chloe on the top of the head.

"You'll take care of me if I do." Chloe says confidently, resting her face against the crook of Aubrey's neck.

Aubrey shakes her head. "Nope. You will have brought it on yourself."  
Chloe scoffs. "You're not fooling anyone Bree." She assures her girlfriend around a yawn. "I'm going to make you play in the snow with me tomorrow."

Aubrey smirks and rolls her eyes. "Okay, we'll do that. If there's any snow left, that is." She closes her eyes and sighs deeply, contentedly. Having Chloe snuggled up next to her is like having her own little heating blanket. It's impossible not to feel lethargic and happy cuddled up with Chloe.

"There will be." Chloe assures her, slipping her arm around Aubrey's waist. "You'll see."

They don't say anything more about the snow as they drift off to sleep once more.

* * *

Chloe is right on at least one account: the snow is most definitely still on the ground in the morning. The lawns and sidewalks and streets are covered in a thick blanket of sparkling white snow, effectively bringing most activity in the city to a halt. Three inches of snow might seem like nothing to certain parts of the country but to the Atlanta residents it might as well be thirty inches. Chloe couldn't be happier. Not only is there snow everywhere but every business in the Metro area has closed its doors for the day, forcing Aubrey to take the day off and start her Christmas vacation a day early.

Chloe throws her arms around Aubrey as soon as she gets off the phone with her boss. "Hooray! Snow day." She grins at the blonde. "I always wanted to have one of those in school."

Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "But then you realized that since you lived in Georgia that was probably never going to happen?"

"I was an optimist, okay?" Chloe pours herself a mug of coffee and adds what Aubrey considers to be way too much cream and sugar.

"Was?" Aubrey smirks, shaking her head. "Let's go back to bed; I feel like being lazy."

Even though that side of Aubrey is not one that Chloe often sees, she shakes her head. "Oh no, you promised." She gives her girlfriend a pointed look. "You said you were going to play in the snow with me."

Aubrey makes a face. "Do we really need to? I mean, we're twenty-five years old. We don't need to play in the snow…"

"Yes we do." Chloe assures her frankly. "When was the last time you actually played in the snow?"

"Never." Aubrey tells her. "But my family used to take trips to Colorado to visit my uncle so we would go skiing." But she would hardly consider that playing, especially not with Marc Posen around.

Chloe crosses her arms over her chest. "My point exactly." She says haughtily. "You can't waste a snow day. It's just not allowed." She walks over to the coat closet by the apartment door and surveys their winter-wear options. "Where are the gloves?" She glances over her shoulder, giving Aubrey a questioning look.

"In the pockets of the jackets they go with." Aubrey says like it's the most obvious response in the world. "So that you'll always know where to find them."

"Well, I think your plan is flawed because _I_ didn't know where to find them." Chloe takes out her jacket and Aubrey's and lays them across the backs of the chairs around the kitchen table.

Aubrey rolls her eyes even though Chloe isn't looking at her. "That's because you like to keep things in strange places that don't make sense at all."

"It makes sense to me." Chloe protests. "Stop stalling and go get dressed. You're playing in the snow and you're going to like it."

Aubrey salutes her. "Yes, sir." She turns and marches back toward the bedroom, laughing when Chloe calls after her, "You're not funny Posen!" She thinks she's pretty funny actually.

Despite the jacket, gloves and scarf that Aubrey is wearing, the cold hits her like a slap in the face as soon as they step out of the apartment. She wraps her arms around herself and shivers, grimacing. "This is a bad idea. We should not be outside." She gives Chloe an entreating look. "It's freezing."

"Don't be such a baby." Chloe teases, pushing Aubrey toward the stairs that lead to the ground floor. "You act like it's never been this cold before. Didn't you just tell me that you used to go to Colorado?"

Aubrey wrinkles her nose. "Yeah but that was different. That wasn't…pointless."

"This isn't pointless." Chloe protests. "It's called 'fun.' Say it with me Aubrey." Chloe laughs when Aubrey gives her a playful shove.

The yard and parking lot outside the apartment building are blanketed in white and the cars and streetlamps and bushes wear their own coats of fresh snow. The grass bears the signs of intrepid children who are making the most of their winter holiday and there's a lopsided, half-finished snowman awaiting completion in the middle of the yard.

It looks like someone has attempted to sweep the walkway clear but gave up before finishing the job, which never would have happened if Aubrey had been in charge of the task, thank you very much. There's slush and snow in random patches across the concrete and rock salt scattered all around. Unfortunately the weather is still too cold for the salt to do any good and instead of melting the snow and ice and making it safe to walk, it's only made more ice.

Which is something that Aubrey doesn't notice until she slips on a patch of ice and falls onto her butt before she can even think about trying to stabilize herself. Of course, the closest thing to her is Chloe, so they probably would have both just hit the ground so maybe it's for the best that she didn't try and grab onto Chloe as she fell.

Aubrey groans, glaring at Chloe when she starts laughing. "Why do you always laugh at me when I get hurt?" She mumbles, trying to stand up but it's much more difficult to find her footing that she would like to admit.

"I'm not laughing at you." Chloe assures Aubrey but it's hard for Aubrey to understand her around all the laughing. "Are you hurt?" She pulls Aubrey up to her feet, giving her a quick kiss on the nose.

Aubrey wrinkles her nose, rubbing her backside. "I think I bruised my tailbone."

"Just say ass, Aubrey." Chloe smirks. "You bruised your ass."

"And it's your fault." Aubrey pokes Chloe in the side. "So what exactly do we have to do out here before we can go inside?"

Chloe shrugs. "Oh, you know, the usual: build an igloo, find a polar bear, go ice fishing." She rolls her eyes. "It never snows; let's just enjoy it."

"I'm enjoying it." Aubrey assures Chloe. "Look, everything is so white and perfect." She sings a few bars of "White Christmas" and then looks at Chloe expectantly. "See, I enjoyed it."

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Boo, you're not fun Bree." She says. "If you're really that miserable you can go back inside."

Chloe turns away with a huff, her breath pluming out in front of her face, making it clear that even if Aubrey isn't going to hang around, nothing is going to stop her from enjoying her winter wonderland.

Aubrey frowns, crossing her arms across her chest. Chloe wants her to have fun? Fine, she'll have fun.

Aubrey kneels down and gathers a handful of snow, shaping it into a ball and packing it tightly. She stands up and throws the snowball at Chloe, nailing her right in the back and catching the redhead by complete surprise. Chloe turns around and her expression of shock turns into a sly grin as soon as she sees the innocent look on Aubrey's face. "Oh, so that's how we're going to play this now is it?" She starts packing together her own snowball. "It's on now."

The innocent look on Aubrey's face quickly turns into a mischievous one and she quickly grabs up a fistful of snow, trying to shape another snowball before Chloe can launch her attack. Chloe's snowball hits Aubrey in the shoulder and Aubrey doesn't hesitate to retaliate. However Chloe is already on the move, running across the parking lot and ducking behind one of the parked cars and disappearing from Aubrey's line of sight.

Aubrey takes a minute to pack together a few snowballs, balancing them in her gloved hands before going after Chloe. The chill from the snow seeps through her gloves, turning her skin cold and icy but she can't exactly stop now. This is war and her opponent is still out there.

Even though Chloe is still hidden away, Aubrey can follow her girlfriend's progress thanks to footprints that she's leaving behind. As soon as Aubrey rounds the side of one of the parked cars, she gets a snowball directly to the chest and nearly drops her own cache of snowballs in surprise. Chloe laughs and takes off running, heading back through the yard in front of their apartment building. Aubrey narrows her eyes and takes off after her, throwing a snowball that hits Chloe in the back of the legs. Aubrey finds herself laughing too as she chases after her girlfriend; she's still freezing and her gloves and coat are damp thanks to all the snow but she's happy and she's having fun and really nothing else matters.

Chloe turns around to gauge Aubrey's progress and loses her footing and goes tumbling onto the snowy ground. Within seconds Aubrey catches up with her, rolling Chloe onto her back and straddling her girlfriend's hips and pinning her to the ground. She gives Chloe a victorious smile. "Looks like there's no where for you to run now." She taunts, holding up one of snowballs and passing it from hand to hand. "I've got you right where I want you."

_Yep and right where I want me too_. Chloe can think of worse things than to be pinned down by her girlfriend, even if the snow is soaking through her coat and getting in her hair. But Chloe has never been one to admit defeat. She tries to wiggle out from underneath Aubrey but Aubrey is immobile, that victorious smirk still on her face.

"You're crushing me." Chloe says with an over dramatic groan, once again trying to twist away from Aubrey.

Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "Are you calling me fat?" She teases.

"Yep, the fattest. You're crushing my insides." Chloe complains, trying to push Aubrey aside. But her girlfriend remains stationary. "Get off."

"Not until you surrender." Aubrey replies, still holding the rapidly melting snowball in what she hopes is a threatening manner. At this point, she's pretty sure that it's more slush than snow but it's the principal of the matter.

Chloe wrinkles her nose. "Never." She lifts her chin defiantly, a smirk playing across her lips.

Aubrey arches an eyebrow and shrugs. "Okay. If that's how you want it."

Chloe gives Aubrey puppy-dog eyes. "You wouldn't. Would you, Bree?" She gives her girlfriend an innocent look. "I'm totally defenseless." She pouts.

Aubrey hesitates for a moment before sighing and tossing the snowball aside and standing up. She might have perfected the art of getting what she wants via a pout and puppy dog eyes but she definitely learned that trick from Chloe and her girlfriend is still impossible to resist. She pulls Chloe up to her feet and brushes some of the snow and ice off the back and sides of her jacket. "You're a mess." She remarks affectionately.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "_Someone_ had me pinned down on the ground."

"All's fair in love and war." Aubrey remarks with a shrug. "I'm freezing. I can't feel my fingers anymore." She rubs her hands together but it's no use because her gloves are soaked through and the skin underneath is numb. "We should go inside." She turns back toward the entrance of their apartment building.

Chloe grabs a fistful of snow and shoves it down the back of Aubrey's shirt and jacket and Aubrey lets out a shriek of surprise, twisting back around and trying to shake the slush out her clothes. "Chloe!" Aubrey is sure that she looks like an idiot hopping around and trying to dislodge the last of the snow but she doesn't care. "What the hell?!"

Shrugging, Chloe gives Aubrey an innocent smile. "All's fair in love and war." She repeats.

For a minute, Chloe wonders if maybe she went too far. There's a slightly murderous look in Aubrey's eyes and Chloe's in the middle of composing an apology when Aubrey grabs a fistful of snow and throws it in her direction. Chloe laughs as she stumbles backward, retaliating with her own barrage of snow. They're no longer even taking the time to make snowballs, they're just throwing handfuls of snow at each other and Aubrey's pretty sure that she's not even close to Chloe half the time but that doesn't really seem important either. She's laughing so much her sides are hurting and she's got snow melting in her hair and on her clothes and Chloe looks just as foolish and Aubrey just wants to grab her and kiss her until they're both even more breathless.

So that's exactly what she does. She grabs Chloe around the waist with one hand and drops a handful of snow onto of her head with the other. Chloe tries to pull away but Aubrey holds her tight, pulling her in for a kiss and effectively putting an end to Chloe's protests. Chloe puts her arms around Aubrey's waist and she can feel Aubrey's heart thudding in her chest and the rise and fall of her sides as she tries to regain her breath. Chloe kisses her harder to make that feat a little more difficult.

When they finally pull away it's hard to say if Aubrey's flushed cheeks are from the snowball fight or the kiss. Chloe leans in for another kiss but stops before their lips meet and she turns her face toward the sky, a smile spreading across her face. "It's starting to snow again."

Aubrey looks up as well, blinking as flakes fall against her cheeks and eyelashes. She looks back at Chloe, who has a grin on her face and snowflakes sticking to her hair and collecting on her eyelashes. Her blue eyes are sparkling and Aubrey wishes that she could freeze this moment, this image and the way that she feels, and keep it with her all the time. She leans in to kiss Chloe on the lips, the cheeks, the tip of her nose, her lips melting the flakes of snow on her skin. Chloe moves closer to her and Aubrey can feel her girlfriend shivering in spite of her jacket and scarf.

"We should go inside." Aubrey suggests, putting her arms around Chloe. "Before we both catch pneumonia and spend Christmas in the hospital."

"You're always so dramatic Bree." Chloe chides but she doesn't protest as she follows Aubrey through the snowy yard to the stairs leading up to their floor. "Pneumonia." She scoffs. "I think that's the worse case scenario."

Aubrey shrugs. "Well, someone has to think about those things and take care of you." She points out as she holds the door open for Chloe.

Chloe gives her a victorious smirk. "Ha, I knew it! You would totally take care of me if I got sick."

"Of course I would, you idiot." Aubrey rolls her eyes good-naturedly, shaking her head. "Isn't that why you keep me around?"

"Yeah, that. And you're really good at keeping things neat and organized and you do the laundry and even though you're not a very good cook you know all the numbers of the take-out places by heart." Chloe teases with a smile. Aubrey rolls her eyes and starts toward the coat closet but Chloe grabs the scarf around her neck and pulls her back before she can get too far. She kisses Aubrey, pressing their foreheads together. "I love you." She says softly, her lips finding Aubrey's again. "Even if you can't cook."

The smile on Aubrey's face is soft and secretive and the selfish part of Chloe is glad that she's the only one who ever gets to see this particular smile. The one that is so sincerely Aubrey. The one that always makes her smile in return. The one that always makes her want to say those three words again because of the traces of doubt that she still sees in Aubrey's eyes, the disbelief that anyone can love her at all. "I love you too. And it's because I love you that I don't do much cooking. Do you want me to give you food poisoning?"

Chloe wrinkles her nose. "I'm going to pass on the food poisoning. At least until after Christmas." The mention of the approaching holiday causes Chloe's eyes to brighten and she grins. "Let's watch old Christmas movies and turn on the lights on the tree. I can get the blankets off the bed and we can snuggle on the couch."

Aubrey doesn't protest as Chloe hurries toward the bedroom. Instead she just hangs up their coats and scarves and sets their gloves out on the kitten table to dry. She goes into the bedroom to change into sweatpants and a sweatshirt and rolls her eyes when she sees Chloe gleefully tugging the blankets off the bed and piling them on the ground. They're going to be so engulfed by fabric at this rate that they're not even going to be able to see whatever movie Chloe decides to put on.

Chloe has already plugged in the white lights on the Christmas tree by the time that Aubrey walks back into the living room. She does have to admit that it gives the room a certain beauty, a warm and homey feel that she never felt during this time of year when she was a child. Christmas was never a huge deal when she was growing up and even though they always had a tree every year, there was nothing personal about it, no family traditions or memories that went along with the ornaments. Aubrey wouldn't even bother with a tree or decorations if it wasn't for Chloe; in all the years that she's known Chloe, she knows better than to protest when all the decorations come out and Chloe wants to go pick out a tree. She doesn't mind so much because the ornaments that hang on the branches are remnants of Chloe's childhood or are little trinkets that they picked out together, things that mean something. The movies Chloe insists they watch don't remind Aubrey of being little but they remind her of being close to Chloe, of being happy and safe and loved and isn't that what Christmas is all about anyway?

Aubrey goes over to one of the windows in the living room and pushes aside the curtains, curious to see if it's still snowing outside. The flakes are still drifting down from the grey clouds above, falling fast and blanketing the ground below. She can't remember a time when she ever saw so much snow in Georgia.

"Looks like you might get your white Christmas after all, Chlo." Aubrey remarks, her breath fogging up the glass. "Though if it keeps snowing like this we'll be stuck inside and won't be able to visit your parents."

Chloe shrugs, spreading one of the blankets out on the couch. "I can think of worse things than being stuck in here with you." She remarks.

Well, now that she mentions it, so can Aubrey.

Chloe decides that what they really need to watch is the old _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ movie that her mother sent her last Christmas, prompting an almost daily viewing. Aubrey is glad that they've watched the movie a normal amount of times this year, though she's still on the fence about how many times grown women should be watching _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ anyway. But she doesn't mind because Clarice kind of reminds her of Chloe and most of the time Chloe will sing "There's Always Tomorrow" along with the movie. Personally, Aubrey likes the parts with the Island of Misfit Toys the best and has never really understood what's wrong with having a spotted elephant.

Aubrey lays with her head in Chloe's lap, snug and warm under the comforter from their bed. She doesn't mean to but finds herself drifting off to sleep. The fact that Chloe is playing with her hair doesn't make it any easier for her to stay awake and she finally falls asleep with a smile playing on the corners of her lips.

**end. **


End file.
